Not a Baby Anymore

I don't know exactly when Ezra crossed the line from baby to little boy, all I know is that it happened. He just seems so grown up, sure of himself. Ever since he learned to walk, I would say that his contentment for life easily doubled. He never stops moving and always seems to be intently working on some project.

He talks, and talks, and talks. One of his favorite activities is to approach adults at playgrounds and just tell them all that they're willing to hear. Although we can't understand what he's saying, he obviously knows exactly what all that babbling means and he emphasizes it with his little pointer finger wagging all around in the air.

Ezra has always been a cuddly little bear and luckily he still finds time out of his busy schedule to come over and lay his head in my lap or on my shoulder. He's taken up the practice of saying, "Ahhh..," while doing so and it melts my heart.

He loves his Daddy immensely. He cries when he goes to work in the morning. The rest of the day, whenever he hears someone in the hall, he will go to the door hoping it's Papa getting home from work. If the door doesn't open, he'll plop down and shed a few tears in mourning. He loves moving the chess pieces because Papa loves chess. He moves his toothbrush around REALLY fast when he brushes he teeth because that's how Papa does it. Sometimes we catch him trying on Martin's shoes.

My little boys loves music...he dances and sings and even finagles maracas out of bands in the park and performs for the tourists. (And then stops by the money bucket to try to fish out his share of the winnings.) He still has an affinity for "The Wiggles" and the smile that they put on his face magically makes them tolerable if not enjoyable. He suddenly started to pick up actions to the various children's songs and he's really good at quacking like a duck, climbing like Itsy Bitsy the spider, and patting a cake. I know all little ones learn this, but since he's my little boy, I find it to be absolutely delightful. Everything he does is delightful.

Oh, how I love him! And oh, how he loves chocolate cake. Happy Birthday Ezra!

Itinerary for almost one- year- old on a warm, Spring Saturday in the city: wake up, eat, put up a resistance while getting dressed, out to the neighborhood playground, watch Papa play soccer with his friends, home for lunch and nap, train down to 59th,

a stop at the ice cream truck,

enter Central Park and walk to the playground, work on some climbing and descending skills,

meet some other almost one- year- olds, spend some time yanking toys out of their hands and then toddle away while giving them a "well, maybe you should learn how to walk too" look, fall down a few times, swing, get in the sandbox just long enough to fill shoes and ears with sand, leave the playground, intently watch some musicians perform a couple of songs,

put the same item in and out of the diaper bag about 100 times while Mom and Papa chill on a blanket, flirt with the woman sitting nearby, pretend to talk on the phone,

watch a pick-up game of soccer with Papa,

fall asleep in the stroller while being pushed up Central Park West, wake up just in time for a first hamburger* tasting,

efficiently ask for more burger with a little pointing finger, walk through a street fair, buy a hat,

ride train home, bathe, resist the pajamas, exhibit some crazy, "I'm overtired" behavior, sleep, sleep, sleep.

*Is it fair that his baseline burger, by which he will have to compare all others, is a Shack Burger? Or maybe I should say, is this fair to all other burgers?

Dear Little Plane,

Thank you for getting my parents here safely. Thank you for turning a 9 1/2 hour drive into a 3 hour flight. Thanks for making my dad say that he never disliked New York, he just wasn't fond of the drive. Thank you for a wonderful weekend.

~Britney

Just for fun...

Below is a picture of Ezra's first outing to

the Brooklyn Bridge (2 days before he was born).

I can't believe this was less than a year ago!

she's here!

flowers,

playgrounds,

stick eating

spring's officially arrived.

(and what a grand entrance it was on a sunny, 75 degree saturday.)

we've loved every moment since.

Does this count?

I never know what date to put on the blank lines next to the list of "firsts" in Ezra's baby book. They want you to put a single date but it's all very ambiguous and confusing to me. Just as with all things "parenting," nothing's as black and white as I thought it would be. Okay. I guess rolling over was pretty easy to peg and I can get the teeth within a couple of days. But other than that....

Does this count for walking? Can I put a date on it yet?

Curiosity survives but a few short minutes when it's cold outside...just long enough to snap a few pictures. And then it gets carried home whimpering.

Laughter

Do you ever listen to a recording of yourself and think..."Do I really sound like that?" Ignore my goofy chatter in the background and enjoy my happy little boy release all the energy he built up at church yesterday.